Method and apparatus for conducting domain name service

ABSTRACT

A method for conducting Internet domain name service to users connected to the Internet comprises an automated procedure for transferring Internet domain name service from a domain name owner to a domain name manager. This method further comprises Internet sub-domain name services to prospective buyers based on domain names transferred to the domain name manager. Messages requesting domain name service, including requests from domain name owners to sub-license their particular domain name to prospective sub-domain name buyers and from prospective sub-domain name buyers to license available sub-domain names, are received and responded to by an automated domain name management system. This automated domain name management system further comprises an interactive website which includes a database, search engine, and Web server.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/511,134, filed Aug. 28, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/773,298, filed Jan. 31, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No.7,099,956, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/179,322, filed Jan. 31, 2000, all ofwhich are specifically incorporated herein, in their entirety, byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a method for conducting internet domainname service. In particular, this invention pertains to an automatedprocedure for licensing sub-domain names via an Internet portal.

2. Description of the Related Art

A domain name is a unique address that identifies a computer or networkthat is connected to the Internet. A particular domain name can becomprised of different domain name levels. Domain names begin with a toplevel domain name with each subsequent domain name level separated by adot. Domain level hierarchy is such that top level (level one) domainnames are those names located furthest to the right of the entire domainname. These level one domain names include descriptors such as ‘corn’,‘org’ ‘net’, or any other designation approved by the InternetCorporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Level two domainnames are located to the immediate left of the top level domain namewhile level three domain names are to the immediate left of the leveltwo domain names. Additional domain name levels sequentially follow,from right to left, according to this same scheme. For purposes of thediscussion herein, domain names are referred to as only the combinationof level one and level two domain names. Domain name levels greater thantwo will, meanwhile, be sequentially referred to as sub-domains fromright to left. As an example, in the website “www.sub2.sub1.foo.com”,the term “foo.com” is the domain name while terms “sub1”, “sub2”, and“www” are respectively sub-domains one, two, and three.

According to current domain name architecture and available salesmethodology on the Internet, rights to use a single domain name aretransferred only to a single entity, which entity then uses that domainname as well as all variants thereof. Legally, this entity has only alicense to use the domain name; however, as long as the name isunrelated to someone else's trademark or legal right to use the name,this license awards full administrative sovereignty over the domainname. This entity thus becomes the administrative contact for theparticular domain name. As the administrative contact, this entity canspeak on behalf of the organization for which the domain name isregistered and should be able to answer non-technical questions aboutthe organization's plans for the name and procedures for establishingsub-domains. Also, the administrative contact should be able torepresent the organization regarding use of the name. The licensee iscommonly referred to in the art as the “owner” of the domain, althoughan actual ownership interest is not created. For convenience, thelicensee will be referred to herein as the “owner” to be consistent withgeneral nomenclature in the art.

Current domain name vendors do not license rights to sub-domain names.This limitation prevents full exploitation of the value of domain names,as many good names, such as “rover.ismydog.com”, are not available fortransfer. A further complication limiting the creation ofsub-domain/domain name combinations is the current domain naming andresolution architecture. Once a right to use a domain name istransferred, the licensee of that name controls domain name service forall sub-domains related to that domain name.

Registrars for domain names provide a name service for all level twodomains emanating off of a level one domain. In order for sub-domains(domain names of level three or greater) to be licensed in a mannersimilar to domains, the provider of name service for the domain namemust be able to provide individual name service for all sub-domains ofthe domain. However, this is not practical unless the registrar is ableto provide name service for a critical mass of domain names. It wouldtherefore be advantageous to permit the automated aggregation of nameservice for numerous domain names.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a method in which domain nameowners and prospective sub-domain name buyers are linked through anInternet portal.

In an embodiment of the invention, a method for conducting Internetdomain name service to users connected to the Internet comprises anautomated procedure for transferring Internet domain name service from adomain name owner to a domain name manager. Furthermore, this methodoffers Internet sub-domain name services to prospective buyers based onthose domain names transferred to the domain name manager. Messagesrequesting domain name service, which include requests from domain nameowners to sub-license their particular domain name to prospectivesub-domain name buyers and from prospective sub-domain name buyers tolicense available sub-domain names, are received and responded to by anautomated domain name management system. This automated domain namemanagement system further comprises an interactive website whichincludes a database, search engine, and Web server.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pyramid diagram showing the current domain namingarchitecture;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of the current sub-domain naming architecture;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram demonstrating a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart outlining the steps for processing domain nameservice applications from domain name licensees according to a preferredembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart outlining the steps for processing sub-domainname service applications from prospective sub-domain name licenseesaccording to a preferred embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating an interactive method for acquiringweb hosting service according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is directed towards an automated method forproviding domain name service. In particular, this invention satisfiesthe need for linking domain name owners with prospective sub-domain namebuyers via the Internet.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a pyramid diagram demonstrating the currentdomain naming architecture is shown. This naming structure is comprisedof several possible domain name levels. The top level of this structurerepresents all level one domain names 10 available to the Internetcommunity, followed immediately below by all possible level two domainnames 20 and then by all possible level three domain names 30. Alsoincluded in this diagram are domain name levels four through (n−1) 40and domain name level n 50, where n represents an undefined maximumnumber of domain name levels.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, an increasing number of possibledomain/sub-domain name combinations are available as the number oflevels increases. This behavior is better understood by taking anarbitrary domain name and analyzing all possible sub-domain namesavailable to it. In FIG. 2, for example, the domain name “foo.com” 100can theoretically host such sub-domains as “subdomain1.foo.com” 110,“subdomain2.foo.com” 120, and all other possible sub-domains“subdomainX.foo.com” 130, where “subdomainX” represents every possiblealphanumeric combination allowed by ICANN to represent a sub-domain.Consequently, each respective sub-domain 110 120 130 can host othersub-domains 112, 114, 116, 122, 124, 126, 132, 134, and 136. or example,“subdomain1.foo.com” 110 can host “sub1.subdomain1.foo.com” 112,“sub2.subdomain1.foo.com” 114, and all other possible sub-domains“subX.subdomain1.foo.com” 116, where “subX” again represents everypossible alphanumeric combination allowed by ICANN to represent asub-domain. The number of potential domain/sub-domain name combinationscontinues to rapidly grow until level n. However, since the creation andsub-licensing of sub-domains is the sole responsibility of individualdomain name owners, and not a centralized registrar, a communicationlink between domain name owners and potential sub-domain buyers usuallydoes not exist. Thus, although the number of potential domain/sub-domainname combinations is far greater than the number of simple domain namecombinations, domain name registration procedure is structured such thatmany sub-domain names are left unused. This invention addresses the needto fill the void left behind by this procedure.

In FIG. 3, a block diagram is shown demonstrating a preferred embodimentof the invention. Through the Internet 200, a domain name managementsystem 210 is shown to communicate with web hosting companies 220,domain name owners 240, prospective sub-domain buyers 230, and domainname registrars 260. Furthermore, the domain name management system 210is shown to be comprised of a database 212, website 214, server 216, andsearch engine 218. It should be noted that each of these entities may beprovided by either a computer, personal digital assistant (PDA),cellular telephone, or other web-enabled device.

In the preferred embodiment, domain name owners 240 request service fromthe domain name management system 210 through its interactive website214 on the Internet 200. In their request for service, domain nameowners 240 make a preliminary agreement to transfer all name servicerecords to the domain name management system 210. An automated procedurewithin the domain name management system 210 then confirms this transferwith the domain name registrar 260. After this confirmation is complete,authority over the particular domain name is transferred from the domainname owner 240 to the domain name management system 210.

Once a domain name is signed up for service, the domain name managementsystem 210 makes a query of the level one domain name servers todetermine where the domain currently points, including its mailexchanger records, ‘www’ sub-domain records, and level one domainrecords. The domain name management system 210 also makes a query of thedomain name server that currently serves records for the domain andrequests a transfer of all name service records for the domain. Thedomain name management system 210 then updates its own records toreflect the existing name service. A request for a change to the domainname service is then automatically created and submitted to theregistrar 260 for the domain and/or sent to the administrative ortechnical contacts for the domain. Once this transfer in domain nameservice is complete, requests for this particular domain name areresponded to with a statement that name service information for thisdomain can be found at the domain name management server 216.

In FIG. 4, a flow chart outlining the steps for processing applicationsfor domain name service from domain name owners 240 according to apreferred embodiment of the invention is shown. Domain name owners 240begin this process by visiting the domain name management website 214 atstep 300. At this website 214, domain name owners 240 fill out anon-line application requesting service at step 305. A processing fee maybe paid (via credit card) at step 310. If sufficient funds are availableat step 315, the domain name management system 210 searches the Internet200 for the domain name's service records at step 330; otherwise, atstep 320 the transaction is cancelled and a cancellation message is sentto the domain name owner 240 at step 325. If a domain name service forthe particular domain name is found at step 335, a transfer of serviceconfirmation is requested at step 350; otherwise, at step 340 thetransaction is cancelled and a cancellation message is sent to thedomain name owner 240 at step 345. The domain name management system 210then awaits transfer confirmation from the domain name service providerat step 355. If this transfer is accepted, a confirmation message isreceived at step 370; otherwise, at step 360 the transaction iscancelled and a cancellation message is sent to the domain name owner240 at step 365. Upon receiving transfer confirmation from the originaldomain name service provider, the domain name management system 210assigns an Internet Protocol (IP) address to that particular domain andupdates its database 212 at step 375. Finally, at step 380, a message issent to the domain name owner 240 confirming service for that particulardomain name. It should be noted that registration for hosting service isdealt with in a separate procedure (described later) by the domain namemanagement system 210. Until a hosting service is chosen, only the newlyregistered domain name, and not a particular website, is linked to theIP address assigned at step 375. This is known in the art as “parking” adomain, and will herein be referred to as such.

People who desire to sub-license a sub-domain from the domain namemanagement system 210 follow a similar procedure. As described above,such sub-licensees do not obtain an ownership interest in thesub-domain, but merely obtain a license. Nevertheless, for convenienceand clarity, these potential sub-licensees will be referred to as“buyers”. Prospective sub-domain buyers 230 would simply visit thedomain name management website 214 and purchase available sub-domainsunder domain names found in the domain name management database 212. Therevenue generated from this purchase is then distributed between thedomain management system 210 and all owners 240 of upper level domainsfrom which the sub-domain buyer 230 is hosting its sub-domain. Uponclearance of payment information (or, optionally, before), name servicefor the sub-domain is then pointed as directed by the new sub-licenseeor owner.

In FIG. 5, a flow chart outlining the steps for processing sub-domainname service applications from prospective sub-domain name buyers 230according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown.Prospective sub-domain name buyers 230 begin this process by visitingthe domain name management website 214 at step 400. At this website 214,prospective sub-domain name buyers 230 use the domain name managementsearch engine 218 to locate domain names available in its database 212at step 405. After locating a particular domain name, the desiredsub-domain name is selected at step 410. If this sub-domain name iscurrently available at step 415, the prospective sub-domain name buyer230 fills out an on-line application requesting service at step 425;otherwise, an unavailability message with a list of similar sub-domainsis sent at step 420, and the prospective sub-domain name buyer 230 isasked to reselect a sub-domain name at step 410. After applying forservice at step 425, the prospective sub-domain name buyer 230 pays aprocessing fee (via credit card) at step 430. If sufficient funds areavailable at step 435, the domain name management system 210 updates itsdatabase 212 to include this sub-domain name at step 450; otherwise, atstep 440 the transaction is cancelled and a cancellation message is sentto the prospective sub-domain name buyer 230 at step 445. Once thedomain name management system 210 updates its database 212 at step 450,a message confirming the transfer of rights of the particular sub-domainname is sent both to the sub-domain name buyer 230 and the domain nameowner 240 at step 455. It should be noted that, when applying forservice at step 425, prospective sub-domain name buyers 230 are giventhe option of hosting additional sub-domains off of their sub-domain.The availability status of sub-domains emanating from this particularsub-domain is then updated accordingly at step 450.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, websites managed by thedomain name management system 210 can be hosted by various web hostingcompanies 220. In FIG. 6, a flow chart illustrating an interactivemethod for acquiring web hosting service is shown according to apreferred embodiment of the invention. As stated previously, all newlyregistered domains and sub-domains are parked at their respective IPaddresses until a web hosting plan is chosen. This procedure begins atstep 500 when a customer requests web host services from the domain namemanagement website 214. The customer then chooses from a variety ofdifferent hosting plans offered at step 505. If at step 510, it isdetermined that the desired plan is provided by the domain namemanagement system 210, a hosting fee for that particular plan is paid atstep 555; otherwise, the customer is hyper-linked to the web hostcompany providing the desired service at step 515. For hosting plansprovided by the domain name management system 210, the payment ofhosting fees at step 555 is followed by a verification of sufficientfunds at step 560. If sufficient funds are available at step 560, an IPaddress is automatically assigned by the domain name management system210; otherwise, at step 565 the transaction is cancelled and acancellation message is sent to the customer at step 570. After an IPaddress has been assigned at step 575, the domain name managementdatabase 212 is updated at step 580 and the customer is sent a serviceconfirmation notice at step 585.

A similar procedure is used in the acquisition of hosting plans notprovided by the domain name management system 210. After customers arehyper-linked to the website of their desired web hosting company 220 atstep 515, customer contact information is sent to the hosting company220 at step 520 followed by an application for service at step 525. Ifat step 530, confirmation of this service is received, an IP address issent to the domain name management system 210 by the web hosting company220 at step 540; otherwise, a notification is sent at step 535 and thecustomer is asked to re-select a hosting plan at step 505. Afterreceiving an IP address at step 540, the domain name management system210 updates its database 212 at step 545 and subsequently sends thecustomer a service confirmation notice at step 550.

Having thus described a preferred embodiment of a method for conductingdomain name service, it should be apparent to those skilled in the artthat certain advantages of the within described system have beenachieved. It should also be appreciated that various modifications,adaptations, and alternative embodiments thereof may be made within thescope and spirit of the present invention. The invention is furtherdefined by the following claims.

1. A method comprising: requesting, by a domain name holder, an entityto provide a sub-licensing service for one or more acquired domains;providing authority to license subdomains associated with the one ormore acquired domains; receiving a confirmation message, via a computingsystem, that authorization to license subdomains was provided; andreceiving a fee from the entity for respective subdomains licensed torespective network users, wherein the computing system belongs to aseparate entity from the entity and the network users.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more acquired domains comprises at least onesecond-level domain.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providedauthority includes authorization to license subdomains of the licensedsubdomains.
 4. A computing system comprising: a memory storinginstructions configured for execution by the computing system in orderto: request, by a domain name holder, an entity to provide asub-licensing service for one or more acquired domains; provideauthority to license subdomains associated with the one or more acquireddomains; receive a confirmation message that authorization to licensesubdomains was provided; and receive a fee from the entity forrespective subdomains licensed to respective network entities, whereinthe computing system belongs to a separate entity from the entity andthe network entities.
 5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein theone or more acquired domains comprises at least one second-level domain.6. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the instructions are furtherconfigured for execution by the computing system in order to receive amessage confirming that the respective subdomains have been licensed tothe respective network entities.
 7. The computing system of claim 4,wherein the provided authority includes authorization to licensesubdomains of the licensed subdomains.
 8. The computing system of claim4, wherein the fee comprises portions of respective fees paid by thenetwork entities for license to respective subdomains.
 9. A tangiblecomputer-readable medium encoded with instructions thereon, wherein theinstructions are readable by a computing device in order to cause thecomputing device to perform operations comprising: requesting, by adomain name holder, an entity to provide a sub-licensing service for oneor more acquired domains; providing authority to license subdomainsassociated with the one or more acquired domains; receiving aconfirmation message that authorization to license subdomains wasprovided; and receiving a fee from the entity for respective subdomainslicensed to respective network users, wherein the computing devicebelongs to a separate entity from the entity and the network users 10.The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the one ormore acquired domains comprises at least one second-level domain. 11.The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the providedauthority includes authorization to license subdomains of the licensedsubdomains.
 12. A method comprising: requesting, by a domain nameholder, an entity to provide a sub-licensing service for one or moreacquired domains comprising a first domain name level; providingauthority to license the one or more acquired domains at a second domainname level that comprises at least one domain name level different thanthe first domain name level associated with the one or more acquireddomains; receiving a confirmation message, via a computing system, thatauthorization to license the one or more acquired domains at the seconddomain name level was provided; and receiving a fee from the entity forrespective acquired domains licensed at the second domain name level torespective network users, wherein the computing system belongs to aseparate entity from the entity and the network users.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the one or more acquired domains comprise at least onesecond-level domain.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the providedauthority includes authorization to license subdomains of the one ormore acquired domains licensed at the second domain name level.
 15. Acomputing system comprising: a memory storing instructions configuredfor execution by the computing system in order to: request, by a domainname holder, an entity to provide a sub-licensing service for one ormore acquired domains comprising a first domain name level; provideauthority to license the one or more acquired domains at a second domainname level that comprises at least one domain name level different thanthe first domain name level associated with the one or more acquireddomains; receive a confirmation message that authorization to licensethe one or more acquired domains at the second domain name level wasprovided; and receive a fee from the entity for respective acquireddomains licensed at the second domain name level to respective networkentities, wherein the computing system belongs to a separate entity fromthe entity and the network entities.
 16. The computing system of claim15, wherein the one or more acquired domains comprising a first domainlevel comprises at least one second-level domain.
 17. The computingsystem of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further configured forexecution by the computing system in order to receive a messageconfirming that the respective second domain name levels have beenlicensed to the respective network entities.
 18. The computing system ofclaim 15, wherein the provided authority includes authorization tolicense subdomains of the one or more acquired domains licensed at thesecond domain name level.
 19. The computing system of claim 15, whereinthe fee is a portion of respective fees paid by the network entities forlicense to respective acquired domains at the second domain name level.20. A tangible computer-readable medium encoded with instructionsthereon, wherein the instructions are readable by a computing device inorder to cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:requesting, by a domain name holder, an entity to provide asub-licensing service for one or more acquired domains comprising afirst domain name level; providing authority to license the one or moreacquired domains at a second domain name level that comprises at leastone domain name level different than the first domain name levelassociated with the one or more acquired domains; receiving aconfirmation message that authorization to license the one or moreacquired domains at the second domain name level was provided; andreceiving a fee from the entity for respective acquired domains licensedat the second domain name level to respective network users, wherein thecomputing device belongs to a separate entity from the entity and thenetwork users.
 21. The tangible computer-readable medium of claim 20,wherein the one or more acquired domains comprising a first domain levelcomprise at least one second-level domain.
 22. The tangiblecomputer-readable medium of claim 20, wherein the provided authorityincludes authorization to license subdomains of the one or more acquireddomains licensed at the second domain name level.